Copyright terms defined

The United States Copyright Office website is the definitive source for accurate information about U.S. copyright law. Especially recommended are its extensive and easy-to-read factsheets about the copyright process.

Every Writer's Guide to Copyright and Publishing Law by Ellen M. Kozak defines copyright as follows:

"The owner of a copyright possesses —and can sell, license, or otherwise authorize the use of— five exclusive rights in a copyrighted work. These include the right to reproduce the work in copies and the right to distribute those copies to the public. The owner of the copyright also possesses the exclusive right of public performance and display... and to prepare derivative works."

You possess copyright to your own work from the minute you create it, and you only lose those rights if you sign them over or license them to someone else*. Before agreeing to a content farm terms of service agreement, be sure you read and understand the terminology related to your rights.

The following terms are common to content farm terms of service agreement:

• Perpetual license: A license with no end date.

• Worldwide license: A license that applies in every country.

• Royalty-free license: The licensee may use the content without paying royalty charges to the copyright owner.

• Royalty: Payment to a copyright holder for use of copy.

• Non-exclusive: The Copyright holder is free to grant licenses to other entities during the term of a non-exclusive license.

• Work-for-hire agreement: In a work for hire agreement, the author of the work is considered to be employed by a third party, who retains all rights to the work created by the author.

• First publication rights: The exclusive right to publish previously unpublished content for the first time.

• Author's rights refer to specific protections under copyright law that consist of two parts: Moral rights, which refer to the right to be identified as the author of the work and to object to content changes that would damage an author's reputation, and economic (property) rights. For more information, see this link.

* Technically, U.S. Copyright is not infinite; it expires 70 years after the author's death. For more information, see Chapter 3 of the U.S. Copyright Law.